Tips to Prepare Your Heavy Equipment for Transport

Written by admin-359123210September 12, 2023

Transporting heavy equipment is no easy feat. It requires extreme attention to detail, safety protocols, and proper preparation to prevent costly damages, accidents, and injury. One missed detail can cause a transport nightmare – and Springfield is here to help you avoid one. 

By following these steps, you can ensure that you are prioritizing safety and that hazards are minimized.

Make a List – and Check it Twice
Before beginning your work, create a checklist of the critical items that need to be addressed to prepare for your transport. Just like writing down “milk and eggs” on your grocery list, you’ll probably miss something if you don’t have it properly recorded and held accountable.

Pro tip: Take your time. Never rush the preparation process. Always allocate ample time to inspect and prepare equipment to ensure a safe journey.

Clean Your Equipment
Remove dirt, debris, and any loose parts. No one likes two inches of caked-on dirt when inspecting the tires of a skid steer. Cleaning your equipment helps visually inspect your equipment and ensure hazardous material does not drop during transit.

Inspect the Equipment for Damage
Before transport occurs, thoroughly inspect your equipment for any signs of wear or damage. Address any issues before moving to ensure safe and efficient transportation.

Pro tip: Consider documenting any damage that cannot be fixed prior to transport by snapping and archiving photos.

Secure All Moving Parts
When transporting heavy equipment, even the most minor vibrations, bumps, and sudden halts can cause moving parts to shift, swing, or come loose. Lock, bolt, or tie down any parts that have the potential to move during transport. By securing moving parts, you significantly reduce damage to other parts of your equipment, prevent potential hazards to other motorists, and preserve the integrity of the transport vehicle.

Check Fluid Levels
Ensure all fluid levels, such as oil and hydraulic fluids, are at recommended levels and tightly sealed to avoid spills. Not only does it ensure the health of your equipment, but prevents environmental hazards and possible cleanup and fines. 

At Springfield, we’re prepared to ensure your equipment, or whatever your load may be, gets to its final destination safely. We will confidently transport your heavy equipment with peace of mind. Preparation today prevents potential problems tomorrow.

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Top OSHA Violations of 2019

Written by SpringfieldJanuary 24, 2020

Top Violations

Every year, OSHA publishes a list of the top ten most frequently cited violations. Let’s look at the list of 2019’s most cited violations:

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements: 7,014 Violations §1926.501
One contractor had a fall-related fatality resulting in $1.792 million in fines!
2. Hazard Communication: 4,170 Violations §1910.1200

3. Scaffolding: 3,228 Violations §1926.451

4.Lockout/Tagout: 2,975 Violations §1910.147

5.Respiratory Protection: 2,826 Violations §1910.134

6. Ladders: 2,766 Violations §1926.1053

7. Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,347 Violations §1910.178

8. Fall Protection Training: 2,059 Violations §1926.503

9. Machine Guarding: 1,987 Violations §1910.212

10. PPE and Lifesaving Equipment: 1,630 Violations §1926.102

As a reminder, last year, OSHA updated its financial penalties to adjust for inflation. Violations start at $13,260. If you fail to abate the problem, it can reach that total per day past the abatement date. Willful or repeated penalties cost a whopping $132,598 per violation. Of course, this is aggregated national data – Michigan also has a state plan. 

Injuries and Fatalities

In the United States, more than 300 are killed and more than 10,000 injured each year from falls in the construction industry alone. Falls are the most significant source of citations, injuries, and deaths. Among the reasons cited by a  NIOSH publication, contributing factors attributed to these deaths include:

  • Lack of training
  • No fall protection program or personal fall arrest system
  • Improper use of equipment
  • Unstable and insecure setups

The OSHA director in Maine had this to say about the $1.792 Million fatality:

“Effective fall protection can prevent tragedies like this when an employer ensures the proper use of legally required lifesaving protection. An ongoing refusal to follow the law exposes other employees to potentially fatal or disabling injuries. Employers cannot evade their responsibility to ensure a safe and healthful workplace.” – David McGuan, OSHA area director in Augusta, ME

Violations like these aren’t reserved for large companies or the construction industry. Does your organization send employees more than a few feet off the ground to perform work? Could providing and requiring fall protection equipment and training save your company injuries and death? These tragic events happen all too often and come with crippling costs.

Our Solutions

Springfield is a leader in safety for Michigan. We have solutions that help businesses all over the state to avoid OSHA violations, and more importantly, injuries/fatalities.

This innovative product is an easy, low-cost solution for flat or pitched roofs. It’s a safe, OSHA-compliant solution for portable ladders (which, unlike permanent ladders, help prevent unauthorized access.)

Our experts can assess your individual facility needs and design a custom solution that exceeds OSHA requirements. We can install the solution and even provide training, inspection, and maintenance.

Create a safety culture in your organization where employees become safety advocates. We take a hands-on approach because it has better retention than classroom-alone or online learning.

Let our safety expertise help you avoid OSHA violations – and save lives. CALL  or EMAIL our team today!

References:
https://www.osha.gov/penalties/
https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/stateprogs/michigan.html
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/19087-oshas-top-10-most-cited-violations
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2019-128updated052019/pdfs/2019-128updated052019.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2019128updated052019

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Man in reflective vest, hardhat, and fall protection harness

Top OSHA Violations of 2018

Written by SpringfieldMay 28, 2019

Top Violations

Every year, OSHA publishes a list of the top ten most frequently-cited violations. Let’s look at the list of 2018’s most cited violations:

1. Fall Protection – General Requirements: 7,216 Violations §1926.501

2. Hazard Communication: 4,537 Violations §1910.1200

3. Scaffolding: 3,319 Violations §1926.451

4. Respiratory Protection: 3,112 Violations §1910.134

5. Lockout/Tagout: 2,923 Violations §1910.147

6. Ladders: 2,780 Violations §1926.1053

7. Powered Industrial Trucks: 2,281 Violations §1910.178

8. Fall Protection Training: 1,978 Violations §1926.503

9. Machine Guarding: 1,969 Violations §1910.212

10. PPE and Lifesaving Equipment: 1,528 Violations §1926.102

This year, OSHA updated its financial penalties to adjust for inflation. Violations start at $13,260. If you fail to abate the problem, it can reach that total per day past the abatement date. Willful or repeated penalties cost a whopping $132,598 per violation. Of course, this is aggregated national data – Michigan has its own state plan. If you’d like more data on the specific sections of these standards cited, we like the presentation at the Safety+Health Magazine.

Takeaways for our readers

It’s worth mentioning that general fall protection requirements not only ranks #1 on the overall list but top the charts for serious violations and willful violations.

Fall protection has been the number one violation for at least the last six years running.

All of these violations have seen an increase in citation over 2017, except for eye and face protection (PPE), which is also a newcomer to the list.

As you’ll see later, several of these violations belong to categories we are experts in, so we’ll illustrate ways we can help.

These violations are expensive, even without fatalities. You’ll see next that there’s a correlation between fall-related citations, and work-related deaths/injuries.

Top Fatalities

Due to the vast number of worker fatalities in the construction sector, it’s not uncommon to see construction-related fatality statistics. On a national level:

  • 310 construction workers are killed and more than 10k injured each year, falling from heights.
  • This includes 124 deaths from roofs, 104 deaths from ladders, and 60 deaths from scaffolds.
  • According to BLS data, 57% of ladder deaths occur in the construction industry.

Full details on these facts and more are available in a very digestible publication put out by the CDC in a NIOSH publication.  Numerous contributing factors attributed to these deaths include:

  • Lack of training
  • No fall protection program or personal fall arrest system
  • Improper use of equipment
  • Unstable and insecure setups

In Michigan, you’ll often see fatalities dominated by falls. For example, of the deaths in 2016 reported to MIOSHA, 23 of the 43 deaths involved falls ranging from zero to fifty-five feet. The average height of a fatal fall in Michigan was only 24 feet.

Our Solutions

Springfield is a leader in safety for Michigan. We have solutions that help businesses all over the state to avoid OSHA violations, and more importantly, injuries/fatalities.

This innovative product is an easy, low-cost solution for flat or pitched roofs. It’s a safe, OSHA-compliant solution for portable ladders (which unlike permanent ladders, help prevent unauthorized access.)

Our experts can assess your individual facility needs, design a custom solution that exceeds OSHA requirements, install the solution, and even provide training, inspection, and maintenance.

Create a safety culture in your organization where employees become safety advocates. We take a hands-on approach because it has better retention than classroom-alone or online learning.

References:
https://www.osha.gov/penalties/
https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/stateprogs/michigan.html
https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/17702-oshas-top-10-most-cited-violations-for-fiscal-year-2017
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2019-128updated052019/pdfs/2019-128updated052019.pdf?id=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2019128updated052019
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/lara_miosha_fatalities_2016_548131_7.html

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Image Credit: US Department of Labor

The National Safety Stand-Down: May 6-10

Written by SpringfieldApril 22, 2019

The week of May 6-10, 2019 will be the sixth National Safety Stand-Down, coinciding with NAOSH Safety Week. Second only to highway crashes, falls are the leading cause of workplace fatalities. Falls are the leading cause of construction deaths. The sad reality is that these deaths are preventable.

What is the Safety Stand-Down?

OSHA is promoting a voluntary event to allow employers to take time to talk with employees about fall safety. The National Safety Council (NSC) also wants to remind you that all industries can conduct a stand-down.

Who can participate?

While the primary focus of this event is construction falls, (the largest sector of work-related fall fatalities), we would like to remind you that fatal falls frequently happen in agricultural, manufacturing, and transportation industries too. The fall height of these deaths surprises many.

In 2015, 16.9% of all fatal falls were from a height of 10 feet or less.

Your company is not too small. In previous years, roughly half of the participants in the Safety Stand-Down are companies with 25 or fewer employees.

Ways to participate

Joining the stand down is easy. Some simple things you can do include:

  • Conduct short and simple toolbox talks focused on ladder, scaffold, or rooftop safety
  • Perform safety equipment inspections with employees
  • Refresh fall-safety training
  • Hold training, show a safety video, or bring in a safety expert such as Springfield
  • Discuss job-specific hazards, protective measures and equipment, and any safety policies and plans
  • Develop, review, or amend your rescue plan

How to conduct a stand-down at your workplace

OSHA has a wealth of resources to help plan and conduct your safety stand-down. Resources include training aids, a case study, quiz, videos, infographics, posters, and much more. Every effort you make to prevent fall-related deaths is worthwhile, even simple 15-minute toolbox talks.

Certificate of participation

Employers willing to participate and provide feedback will be eligible to download a certificate of participation. The certificate pages will be active on May 6 at OSHA’s Stop Falls Stand-Down and the National Safety Council’s (NSC) webpages. Certificates will be available even after the event (until June 30th), so you can still participate even if you miss the Stand-Down Week.

Springfield

Springfield is a leader in fall safety. We’ve developed the revolutionary LadderAnchor because 24% of fatal falls (2008-2010) are related to ladders. We also regularly assist commercial and industrial building operators with developing and implementing turn-key solutions for the fall safety of their facilities. These solutions exceed OSHA requirements and offer a significant return on investment.

OSHA estimates every $1 invested in workplace safety and health returns between $4 and $6.

Springfield knows OSHA guidelines inside and out. We’re not here to replace your in-house safety team but give them all the tools and knowledge they need to succeed in saving lives. Here are some of the ways we help organizations:

See how Springfield can help you with a successful Fall Safety Stand Down, or any other time of year to help prevent tragic loss. Call us today! 231-263-5300

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A Cause for Celebration

Written by SpringfieldAugust 4, 2017

YIKES!  We had a NEAR MISS – let’s CELEBRATE!!!!

We do not actually break out into a “happy dance” or have a pizza party when we have a “near miss”, but we do actually celebrate the fact that the system we put in place years ago of encouraging our field employees to speak freely to management about near misses is successful.  Springfield requires that all near misses are documented and discussed with the management team.  This is done in a non-judgmental, non-condescending manner. 

While Springfield management has learned quite a bit from extensive OSHA and MI-OSHA training and certifications, we sometimes feel that we learn the most from our own employees and their day in, day out experiences of “hands on” construction work.  We honor the men and women who work at construction jobs and we hope the attached “near miss” form will help some of you to develop a culture at your workplace where worker safety is embraced and where near misses are treated as opportunities for improvement.

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